


A Helping Hand

by ao_no_senshi



Category: Chouseishin Gransazer | Super Star God Gransazer
Genre: F/F, Female Character of Color, Female Characters, Female Friendship, Female Homosexuality, Female Protagonist, Female-Centric, POV Female Character, Post-Canon, Unresolved Sexual Tension
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2010-10-09
Updated: 2010-10-09
Packaged: 2017-10-27 00:35:25
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,349
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/289624
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ao_no_senshi/pseuds/ao_no_senshi
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Ran is a bright flash of colour at the end of a long, tiring day.</p>
            </blockquote>





	A Helping Hand

Ai made her way slowly out of the nurse's station, her bag slung over her shoulder. She didn't like night shifts, they always seemed twice as long as day shifts, even when they were actually the same length of time. It didn't help when it was quiet either. Oh, quiet shifts were always preferable to busy ones, but with the patients asleep, it meant there wasn't as much for the night shift to do which meant the time dragged. So no, she wasn't fond of night shifts and she wished there was someone there to pick her up at the end of them, instead of leaving her stuck on a train with all the people working nine-to-five, in their suits and carrying briefcases with sharp edges that rammed into her legs, or the students on their way to school or university laughing with their friends or listening to too loud music.

She thought wistfully of the sight she'd seen last night just as her shift was starting: Dentsuin-sensei being relentlessly carried along the corridor by Ryoko-san and Jin-san. They hadn't seen her, but the closeness had struck her nonetheless: Dentsuin-sensei was a very strong-minded man and yet Ryoko-san and Jin-san still managed to get him right where they wanted him. She supposed the Wind Tribe was just like that: it was less easy for her and Tappei to convince Makoto to do things he didn't want to do, or things he knew he should do but couldn't bring himself to. Still, she found herself wishing one of them could have been here this morning, even though she knew they couldn't: Tappei had his own job and Makoto was out of town. There was simply no-one to pick her up this morning.

Resigning herself to another uncomfortable train journey, Ai decided she would take the lift instead of the stairs and she leant back against the wall, rubbing her eyes tiredly as the lift descended to the ground floor. Hopefully her tiredness meant she would go off to sleep without much trouble this time. Exiting the lift Ai almost bumped into the person just moving to step inside and she ducked her head hurriedly in apology, hoping to make her exit without a fuss.

"Ai-chan!"

The exclamation startled her and she looked again to find Ran stepping back out of the lift, a bright smile on her face that left Ai's stomach fluttering. Gone was the uncertain girl Ran had been at the end of their battle as Gransazers: this Saotome Ran all but glowed with confidence and her vivacity made her stand out, the bright colours of her dress a sharp contrast to the sterility of the hospital architecture without being garish, just a bright splash of colour against white walls and grey doors.

"Ran-chan!" Ai managed eventually, realising she must look like an idiot, just staring blankly at her friend without saying anything. "What are you doing here?" Was she visiting someone? She couldn't be couldn't be an out-patient, surely. She would have heard by now if that was the case, so no, Ran couldn't be _sick_ , she...

"Picking you up, of course," Ran replied promptly, as if the answer should have been obvious. "Makoto-san is out of town, right?" she continued. "And Tappei-san has to be in work as well, so here I am." Again, as if that explained everything when it didn't explain anything at all. Ran's dancing-and-modelling career was taking off, could she really afford to take the time to collect Ai from the hospital? And how had she even known Ai had been working the night shift anyway? Too many questions darted around her brain, even tired as she was, and between the two it took her a moment to realise Ran had manoeuvred her away from the lift and was gently tugging her towards the exit.

"You look tired, Ai-chan," Ran said a moment later, weaving past a couple of nurses walking the opposite way and completely ignoring the stunned double-take on one of the more mobile patients out for an early morning stroll, looking briefly like he was going to try calling her back.

"It was a long shift," Ai shrugged. "Quiet as well, so it seemed a lot longer."

Ran made a few sympathetic noises but apparently she'd realised Ai wasn't up for much conversation and didn't try to force it out of her as they headed towards wherever Ran had parked.

"You still use the van?" Ai blurted when she recognised it. Surely Ran could afford something fancier than that now. Why would she still use it?

Ran simply shrugged and unlocked the doors so Ai could climb in. "Sure, why not? It does what I need it to, why change? Besides," she added, "I'm looking into getting a new apartment so it's one or the other." She grinned as she slid into the driver's seat. "I don't make _that_ much money, Ai-chan. I still have to budget."

Ai blushed and busied herself with fastening her seatbelt as Ran strapped herself in and started the engine. The van pulled out smoothly and Ai found herself settling back into the seat, making herself more comfortable as she felt her head starting to nod.

"Ai-chan," Ran murmured, "what was your address again?"

Ai rattled it off without so much as opening her eyes, barely registering the soft sound of Ran's acknowledgement. Ran wouldn't mind if she just closed her eyes for a bit, she told herself. She knew she was tired, wouldn't be expecting conversation or anything that required concentration on Ai's part. It would only be for a few moments anyway, anything else would be rude.

A few minutes later Ai felt a gentle tugging on her arm and she wrinkled her nose in irritation: she'd thought Ran was going to leave her alone, what was she doing? Couldn't she just have five more minutes before she had to be awake? The tug at her arm changed into a more insistent patting at the side of her face and Ai grumbled a protest as she forced her eyes open. Ran was a lot closer than she remembered, leaning into Ai's personal space, her expression concerned until she realised Ai was reluctantly paying attention. It was then that Ai noticed the van was no longer moving and the buildings outside looked suspiciously like those around her apartment building.

"Did I...?"

"Slept the whole way here," Ran confirmed, not seeming all that concerned if the cheerful smile now on her face was anything to go by. "You don't snore, in case you were wondering."

"I wasn't," Ai retorted, although now that she thought about it, it would have been incredibly embarrassing if she had. Ran just laughed and opened the van's door, hopping out and arriving at Ai's side before she could get her wits together, opening the door for her. Ai barely managed to bite back the comment about Ran acting like she was her girlfriend, opening doors and everything for her, because Ran was just being a good friend, that was all and clearly Ai was more tired than she'd thought if she was beginning to think along those lines.

"You don't have to see me to the door," she muttered but Ran shrugged, strolling alongside her anyway, her fingers laced together behind her back.

"And who'll help you if you fall flat on your face before you get there?" she asked lightly, ignoring the scowl Ai sent her way: she wasn't _that_ tired, damn it. "Nope, I'll go with you."

It wasn't worth arguing with her, Ai decided. Ran was just as stubborn as she was, only she was more awake, which was an unfair advantage, really, so she was in a much better position to win arguments. "Fine." Still, Ai thought when she'd got safely inside, she wasn't entirely unhappy with the way things had turned out. Not unhappy at all, really, just a little confused and off-balance and wondering if Ran would be able to spend more time at her apartment now that she knew where it was.


End file.
